Full Release: Games

It’s a brand new week, plus a brand new month, and a slew of new releases are hitting both the virtual and brick & mortar shelves. Yet the key names involved are anything but new, yet sometimes, familiarity can be a good thing.

Mega Man 10 (WiiWare) – The latest 8bit-like installment of the franchise is hitting all three download services, though it arrives on the Wii first, and as previously noted, there’s just something “right” about controlling the Blue Bomber with something that feels akin to the original NES joypad. And like part 9, expect the bar set for challenges to be set high, too high in fact, hence why there’s now a handicap mode that covers many of the pits filled with one hit and your dead spikes, plus less enemies all around. Hey, no judgments; that’s how I’m gonna be playing.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PS3, 360, PC) – The sequel to the fictional war between the US and Russia (in this game’s world, there was no kissing and making up) is finally here, plus other parties are involved I think? It will also supposedly address the ending of the first game, which was about a happy an ending as you can get in a game that’s all about wanton death and destruction, yet part two kicks off not so rosy (what happens between has been a tightly guarded secret). All that is known is how everything will blow up real good, better than before, and that everyone will curse even more so this time as well, if that can be believed.

Lips: Party Classics (360) – Admit it, you want to keep the gf entertained, and you also don’t mind playing along, or in this case singing along, provided the material is worthy. Past Lips releases have featured two to three decent songs, at most, with the rest serving as reminders as to why you don’t listen to the radio anymore. Which is why this latest release might be as good as it’s going to get, because it relies upon proven hits as the title implies. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison, “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred, and “Son of a Preacher Man” by Dusty Springfield? Plus there’s like 40 songs to choose from, whereas with the first game at least, even including the crap ones, it honestly felt like 10.

Sonic Classic Collection (DS) – While you wait for what will most assuredly be a very disappointing Sonic 4, why not relieve blue spiky one’s glory days, well before the world of 3D completely made him irrelevant and unplayable? It’s Sonic 1-3, plus Sonic & Knuckles. The only real addition is a save anywhere feature, but honestly, the less new nonsense to get in the way, the better. As for how Sonic & Knuckles will interface with other Sonic games, or even if it will period, who knows? Would make total sense, but this is Sega we’re talking about, they work in mysterious ways. So you feel like paying for Sonic 2 for literally the 20th time? Of course you do!

Major League Baseball 2K10 (PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, 360) – The first of two MLB offerings this week is from 2K Sports and available for virtually every platform under the sun (save for the DS and iPhone, but you just know they’ll be coming soon). Among the many improvements to this year’s update is a career mode that is supposedly close to that other baseball game that’s also coming out (more on that in a bit), which is a career mode in which you guide a player’s career, starting out in the minor leagues and all the way to the majors. Plus you have MLB Today, which will provide real-time scores and news happening in the real world, as you play. How info will be affected by your actions remain to be seen, but one has to assume that assorted contingency plans have been made for whatever wacky comings and goings that go down in your console. Also expect the usual assortment of tweaks and refinements to the proven formula as well.

MLB 10: The Show (PS2, PS3, PSP) – The second baseball game to chose from, provided you own a Sony machine, is Sony’s very own Major League Baseball simulator. Now, considering how universally celebrated 09 was, 10 has a lot to live up to, though a host of refinements and improvements are being added to the mix (still, one gets the sense that there’s a definite “let’s not screw up what everyone already loves” at work, which is a good thing). There are new fielding options, pitching training modes, practice drills, enhanced ball physics, plus the ability for the catcher to call the game. A home run derby mode has also finally been added (who this could be absent for so long is positively a mystery), plus online, which was the one thing EVERYONE complained about has been promised to been fixed.